How do I choose that "just right" car for a race?

[IvanOffalich]

Sorry for the length of this post, but I thought it would be helpful to explain what I'm attempting to do and why so that I can get good replies. I also tend to be long-winded.

I've been working on redoing this game. I had to have my PS3 replaced due to an overheating problem and all of my previous progress was lost. So, at first, I didn't much care what cars I was using for races, just as long as I could win the race and move on since I had won most of them before my old system started acting up.

After completing all of the B-Spec races with over-powered cars, to get that (in my opinion) tedious stuff out of the way, I've found myself having a bunch of monster cars which can easily win races. So easily that I tend to lap the other cars without trying when I use them, sometimes multiple times.

At first I didn't mind so much, but the more that I raced, the more that I realized that it's not really fun going around the track without having to worry about driving well or worrying about position. It's become a grind rather than a challenge.

So, I've decided to try to pick cars that I actually have to drive my best with to come in first. I want cars that if I mess up a corner badly, that I can kiss first place goodbye. Basically I want it to be more like the license tests where you have only 1 or 2 laps to pass everyone. I want to be challenged and I want to hone my skills, not rely on the car to do all the heavy lifting, so to speak.

This has presented me with a much harder problem than I first thought it would be. I did one of the Seasonal Event that had low PP cars on the London track and I chose a Triumph Spitfire that I had in my garage. After trying it a few times, I realized that it was just slightly underpowered. It needed just a little kick to be able to actually catch up with the first place car. I could just get into second near the end of the race, if I carried the speed smoothly through he turns and avoided sliding. So, I upgraded the car a little, or so I thought.

I went back into the race and ended up being in first before the second lap was finished. Needless to say, the upgrades had made it too easy to win the race.

On the other side of the coin. I tried doing another Seasonal (600 PP) on Grand Valley. Since I was planning to try for the GTR/Nurburgring trophy soon I had recently purchased the GTR and thought it might be a good idea to see how it handles with the Sports Hard tires, so that I had an idea what I was in for later.

After getting used to the car, and the tires, on that particular track, I found that I wasn't able to make much progress, so I upgraded the tires to Sports Soft. This was a little better and I was able to squeak a second place each time. Once I could do that consistently, I started looking at the first place car and realized that it had a tremendous lead. It was obviously much faster than the rest of the pack.

A couple of attempts later, I realized that I just didn't have the speed that it would take to reach him and actually win. So, with it being about dinner time, I decided to slap the Racing Softs on, so that I could get through it and do some B-Spec grinding while I ate.

After a couple of attempts, while driving smoothly through the course, I realized that I had to push it, even with the good tires, to catch the car in first, which turned out to be a Ford GT. If I didn't push it, his lead would increase too much for me to catch up after getting past the other cars.

I had to push it pretty hard from the start to actually catch up to him and managed to near the last S-curve on the last lap. I was able to pass him just after reaching the straightaway. It was actually a decent challenge. I'm pretty sure that, with some practice, I could probably manage to do it with Racing Hards, but I don't think I could scrape up enough speed with anything less than that.

It took me quite a lot of replaying that race to realize that it wasn't me; that it wasn't my errors that were holding me back. It was how fast the Ford GT was in comparison to my car and the fact that he had a head start. The tires seemed to be the deciding factor on being able to catch him or not. He had more speed on the straightaway, I needed to be speedy through the turns.

I had assumed, initially, that I could manage a win with the stock tires, but in this case, that turned out to be wrong. I needed the extra traction. The engine, the handling, everything except the tires was enough to win, but it too me too long to realize it.

The problem is that I seem to be picking cars that have either way too much power, or are so underpowered that there isn't a chance of winning.

Without excessive trial and error, is there a way to figure out what car to use and find that "just right" for different races? The Triumph upgrading tells me that it's going to be hard to get it right. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[hatfield]

The way I did it on my second play through, was to select a stock car that is lower than the PP of the last car on the typical opponents list.
Then run the race with the same tires as the opposition and see what you come.
Then based on how far off you finished, add some upgrades (1 or 2) starting with upgrades that do not effect PP (suspension, transmission etc) and then power/weight upgrades and if you still can't win, then upgrade the tires one compound.

The main issue is that you get a different AI grid each track, (unless in a championship) and the AI are better at some tracks (tokyo R246) rather than others (SSR5), so which track to do first is crucial to not smashing the AI at the next course.

 

[bluecharger]

Essentially, Ivan, there is no way to pick "the right car" for any race. Within the bounds of the race requirements, you can take a hoss and tune it down to handicap yourself, or pick the least among your stable and try like Satan was at your heels. To some extent, until you know every competitive car you have inside and out, it will always be trial and error. Anyone here will tell going by PP isn't anywhere near perfect, because handling, track size and type, running gear loadout, even tires are not taken into account in the PP rating. The best challenge I myself have found lately is re-running the 650 PP series (6races) in the seasonal events. I have fun just seeing how every applicable and reasonable car I have stacks up, and have found quite a few surprising performers in the process. The lower PP races in that series are just as fun when approached that way. Great way to earn credits, and turn over the UCD at the same time. Wish you great luck!

 

[IvanOffalich]

Thanks. I'm wasn't expecting answers on how to find the "perfect" car for each race easily, but I wanted at least a starting point to get close. I seem to be missing by big margins.

Yes, PP hasn't told me much at all. I've actually won with cars that are way under the average PP for a race and found in other races that I can't stray much from the highest PP AI car.

It really doesn't give me a good guideline. Maybe I should pick a few cars and fiddle with those until I get them to work for the Seasonals in each PP class or something.

If anyone has a suggestion for one for a certain class, I'm open to it. I understand that your favorite car might not be my cup of tea, or vice-versa, but it's something to try out.

 

[bluecharger]

IMO, in any class a racing Mazda is fairly easy to bring in under-PP and drive it like you stole it (makes up ground well, is what I'm saying lol), I personally LOVE the Shelby Series One for 500PP work, anything 650 or higher, Zondas are hard to beat (and if allowed, Zonda R beats Zonda race car heh), and if there was a large-caliber gunpowder-powered steely device held to some important region of my anatomy, I guess Lotus is ok when tied down properly under 500PP....btw, you should really work with the Lotus Europa when available....open up the toe and that thing turns like nobody's business lol

edit: In fact, I won the first 4 current seasonals with one....not quite up to snuff chasing the rabbit on the cart track, but sure was fun trying!

 

[Morgoth_666]

Cars do vary a lot at the same PP(even before the last update) so there's never a firm rule, no. What usually worked best for me was to aim for around the middle-to-rear of the field's PP and then use one grade lower tires than the AI. Then I'd practice until I got better or upgrade a little(usually only a very small amount of power at a time) until I could win, assuming I didn't guess wrong and blow them away the first time.

Unfortunately there's not much substitute for trial-and-error until you figure out which cars do better than their PP shows and which do worse - both for you and the opponents. At least it's usually pretty easy to tell which tracks you can expect an easier or tougher race. In my case, I almost always went with the same tires as the bots at Tokyo, and would use a slower car or drop an extra level of tires for races at the Nordschleife or any Cape Ring tracks with the loop.

Having the fastest opponents buried in the back of the start order can be a good way to make the races a bit more fun, when you can. That way you can be a little less pushy on your way to the front and maybe even use a car that isn't any faster than your rival, so that once you both reach the front you can almost actually race each other.

 

[bluecharger]

Having the fastest opponents buried in the back of the start order can be a good way to make the races a bit more fun, when you can. That way you can be a little less pushy on your way to the front and maybe even use a car that isn't any faster than your rival, so that once you both reach the front you can almost actually race each other.

Just saying, I have NEVER seen that happen. The closest I can remember is in the 650PP GT500 seasonals, the rotation will work it's way around to a McLauren F1 GT race car leading off a Xanavi GT-R (I forget which year)....for some reason the AI will make those two scrap it up til I get there and settle the arguement lol.

 

[Morgoth_666]

It does happen sometimes, but not in every series. Some of them the rabbits just always seem to start in the top spot or two, and always show up. Sometimes too the rabbits are just so fast that it doesn't matter, like in the Dream Car Championship. That's actually a decent example however... if the XJR-9 is your rabbit, it can start from the very back and still be in first within a lap, but if the fastest car is the Zonda and it starts from the back it won't get to the front until late in the race, opening things up for both you and the Ford GT's. If the Zonda starts up front though, it will usually streak away from the Fords and you'll have to plan accordingly when setting your pace.

 

[bluecharger]

Sometimes too the rabbits are just so fast that it doesn't matter, like in the Dream Car Championship.

Ok, maybe (probably lol) my bad....It's been a loooooooooong time since I did anything but seasonal events....wasn't thinking in-game A and B spec menu

 

[Morgoth_666]

Yeah, the seasonals seem to be a little more predictable. The rabbit is amost always right up front. In some of them the fastest cars don't show up every time, and sometimes the fastest car left isn't first, but it's still usually in the top 3 or 4.

It's too bad. It might be more fun now and then chasing the rabbit through the field from starting a spot or 3 behind him, instead of plowing through the field with zero margin for error in order to get up front and start chasing the rabbit from there.

 

[bluecharger]

It's too bad. It might be more fun now and then chasing the rabbit through the field from starting a spot or 3 behind him, instead of plowing through the field with zero margin for error in order to get up front and start chasing the rabbit from there.

And can't you just imagine the screaming on here bi-monthly due to the traffic tie-ups when the AI tries passing each other?